Chapter 169.1: The Truth Behind the Great Calamity

With awe and reverence, everyone gazed up at the solemn Violet Palace cultivators in the skies.

Just then, a stooped old man stepped forward, his face full of anguish. "Senior Blood-Clothed Sword God! That boy belongs to a minor offshoot of the Liu Clan. Our main family has absolutely nothing to do with him!"

The Blood-Clothed Sword God hadn't even shown himself yet, and a Violet Palace cultivator was already rambling nervously. The rest of the cultivators watched the scene with mixed emotions.

"That old man is a Violet Palace expert! He could overturn the whole Thunderwalk Continent with a flick of a finger! And yet, because his junior descendant offended the Blood-Clothed Sword God, he personally traveled tens of thousands of miles just to have that brat dragged here!"

"Liu Wen bullied men and women alike. Offending the Blood-Clothed Sword God is nothing but karmic retribution."

"Where is the Blood-Clothed Sword God? Why hasn't he appeared yet?"

Everyone was restless, eager to glimpse the legendary figure.

"He's here!"

A man appeared before the Violet Palace musical troupe. He was tall and striking, dressed in flowing blood-red robes. He held the hand of a small, innocent-looking girl. Yet no one was deceived by her appearance. Fear and reverence instinctively rose in their hearts. She was a Yin Spirit!

"So that is the Blood-Clothed Sword God. Even with his cultivation concealed, I can tell at a glance that he's an unparalleled powerhouse." A man sighed, then suddenly turned to his companion in confusion. "Brother Feng Tian, what's wrong? Why are you trembling?"

Feng Tian stared at the blood-robed figure in the sky, disbelief flooding his eyes.

H-he's the Blood-Clothed Sword God?!

Beside him, Sister Hua shook uncontrollably, her face deathly pale. Not far away, Ye Chan clapped a hand over her mouth. She looked at Rogue Immortal, unable to speak, her eyes blinking furiously.

Rogue Immortal finally felt satisfied. He chuckled and said, "You're not seeing things. That's the Blood-Clothed Sword God. And the little girl you fed candy to earlier? That's his daughter, a Yin Spirit. Honestly, your courage is impressive. I admire it."

High in the sky, Qi Jianjun read Liu Wen's list of crimes one by one.

Qi Yuan smiled brilliantly. "The greatest achievement of your life is dying by my hand."

With a casual push of his palm, Liu Wen—the loudmouth from the Divine Flower Society forum—was killed.

Qi Yuan then glanced at the Violet Palace expert who had rushed here from afar. "I'm a reasonable man. I don't harm the innocent or exterminate the entire clan. You may leave."

The Violet Palace elder let out a breath he'd been holding. "Thank you for cleansing the cultivation world, Senior! When I return, I will ensure my descendants speak less and act more."

𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Qi Yuan nodded, and his figure faded away. "

Mm

."

The mournful sound of the suona cut off abruptly. The Violet Palace troupe vanished as well.

The city's cultivators stared at the sky, unsatisfied.

"It's over already? I wasn't done watching."

"One more kill would've been nice!"

"How about someone provokes him again so we can see another show?"

"You go first!"

***

Meanwhile, Qi Yuan reappeared inside the tavern, still holding Qi Jianjun's hand. Due to his Origin Divine Technique, no one would remember or associate him with the Blood-Clothed Sword God.

"All done," Qi Yuan said casually. "Rogue Immortal, let's go. Time to catch up."

Ye Chan's heart was pounding so hard she couldn't speak. In the distance, Feng Tian and Sister Hua stood frozen, pale as ghosts.

"Let's go," Qi Yuan urged again.

Ye Chan looked at Rogue Immortal, her voice trembling. "My legs won't move, I will stay."

She still couldn't accept it. Facing the Blood-Clothed Sword God and his Yin Spirit daughter was simply too much!

Rogue Immortal sighed. "Alright. Be careful. I'll talk with him and then deliver the pills to your grandfather."

Deliver pills, my ass,

Ye Chan thought bitterly.

You can just give them to me.

Still, she didn't dare say it aloud.

Soon, Qi Yuan and Rogue Immortal were seated again at their original table, a spread of dishes laid before them. Qi Jianjun lifted a cup of wine, clearly eager to try it.

Qi Yuan smacked her small hand with his chopsticks. "Kids don't drink."

The waiter laughed. "It's fruit wine, it won't get anyone drunk. Even children can drink it."

Qi Jianjun shot Qi Yuan with a smug look.

Qi Yuan glared at the waiter. "If my daughter grows up crooked, I'm blaming you."

The waiter grinned. "Your daughter is adorable and blessed with great fortune. She's bound to become a Core Formation cultivator in the future."

Qi Yuan snapped. "Don't say that!"

The waiter blinked. "A Nascent Soul?"

"Use some imagination," Qi Yuan said casually. "I'm hoping that in three hundred years, she'll reign supreme over eternity."

The waiter laughed, thinking the guest was delightfully eccentric.

As Qi Yuan ate, he turned serious. "About what you mentioned previously, shattering and rebuilding your core, I gave it a lot of thought and discussed it with Lord Great Wisdom. You don't need to destroy your core."

Rogue Immortal's heart warmed. He'd only complained in passing about his flawed Golden Core. Who would’ve thought that Qi Yuan would take it to heart?

"I realized you can follow Lord Great Wisdom’s dual-core method. If one core isn't enough, just make more." Qi Yuan handed him a jade slip. "I created a rough technique tailored to you: Nine Core Art. At present, it allows up to nine Golden Cores. I haven’t finished refining it, but once you're used to it, you can even have up to ten or twenty cores."

Truth be told, refining that particular cultivation method had sparked quite a few ideas of his own. Qi Yuan's Star Golden Core relied on the devouring True Sun Fire, but everyone knew that overeating came with consequences. Swallowed too much, and strange things were bound to occur. Even cultivation could end in a stomachache.

Thus, Qi Yuan began considering a dual-core path for himself. Either he formed even more Star and Planetary Golden Cores, or let the Star Golden Core continue its relentless devouring.

Rogue Immortal Venerable accepted the jade slip, deeply moved. "Thank you, Qiyuann Sovereign!"

"No need," Qi Yuan replied casually. "Back when I was short on cultivation techniques, didn't you all help me out too?"

In those early days, when he lacked proper methods, the Four Divine Flower Emperors had all supported him in one way or another.

Just then, a streak of light descended in front of the tavern. Several figures appeared at once. At their head stood an elderly man radiating unmistakable Violet Palace cultivation.

The cultivators inside the tavern gasped in surprise. "That's Lord Feng Xiao. Why would he come here?"

"And the one beside him is True Lord Lu Qiong. He looks shaken."

"What's going on? Did some great figure arrive at the inn?"

The once high and mighty Feng Tian knelt on the ground. He was covered in bruises and wounds, clearly beaten half to death. Compared to his pain, however, his fear of the legendary Blood-Clothed Sword God was far greater. Sister Hua knelt as well, her face full of desperation and pleading.

Fear was plain on Feng Xiao's face as he stepped forward. "I came bringing my unworthy descendant, Feng Tian, to seek an audience with Senior Blood-Clothed Sword God."

The entire tavern erupted in shock.

"The Blood-Clothed Sword God?"

"He's inside the tavern?!"

Everyone turned their heads, scanning every corner of the room. Yet no matter how hard they looked, they couldn't find him. Even the innkeeper and waiter panicked.

Then, Qi Yuan’s lazy voice drifted out from within the tavern. "I'm in the middle of a meal. Don't ruin my mood. It was a small matter. Once taught a lesson, it's over. Do you really think I am so petty?"

Qi Yuan felt helpless.

This is exactly why staying hidden is better. Otherwise, even eating a meal becomes impossible. Sometimes, being too famous is nothing but trouble!

Feng Xiao finally let out a long breath after hearing the response. "Thank you, Senior, for your magnanimity."

True Lord Lu Qiong wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

The Blood-Clothed Sword God was a genuine killing demon. Who would dare believe he spared the innocent? The Bright Palace had been wiped out entirely. Venerable Ye Qiong's Heaven Earth Palace, once home to countless elites, had seen its former powerhouses lined up and beheaded.

With such overwhelming blood aura, it was no wonder people thought of him as a demon. Without slaughtering hundreds of thousands, how could one accumulate such terrifying karmic bloodshed?

Feng Xiao came in a hurry and left just as quickly.

Inside the tavern, the guests exchanged uneasy glances. No matter how they looked, they simply couldn't tell where the Blood-Clothed Sword God was hiding among them.